Ecology Lecture 1

Global Warming and Climate

• The main culprit for global warming is the increasing levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
• The main contributors to the increasing temperature on Earth are the increasing levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Carbon Sinks

• Natural carbon sinks include oceans, forests, and soil.

Plant Biology

• Water is transported within plants through the process of transpiration, in which water absorbed by plant roots is transported up the plant and evaporates through pores in the leaves.

Ecology

• A population in ecology refers to a group of individuals of the same species that live in a specific geographic area.
• The level of ecological research that includes all the populations of a given area is known as a community.
• Abiotic factors in an ecosystem refer to non-living components, such as temperature, water, sunlight, and soil.
• The type of ecosystem, whether it's desert, tropical, temperate, boreal, or polar, is determined by the climate of the region.
• The study of ecology involves collecting and analyzing data on the relationships between organisms and their environment.

Climate and Weather

• Climate refers to long-term average atmospheric conditions in a particular region, while weather refers to short-term atmospheric conditions.

Global Cycles

• Global cycles in ecology involve the movement of nutrients, water, and other resources within and between ecosystems.

Test your knowledge of ecology with this quiz covering data collection, statistics, modeling, and levels of ecological research. Explore the definitions of organism, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere.